In a court filing in the state, Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin asks the court to approve a swift briefing schedule on the state’s intended request for a temporary restraining order blocking the new travel ban before it takes effect on March 16.

By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times Three federal appeals court judges who have ruled in favor of gay rights in the past are to hear arguments Monday on whether to uphold same-sex marriage bans in Western states. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges, randomly selected to consider the appeals, are Stephen Reinhardt, appointed […]

By Kurtis Lee, Los Angeles Times Hawaiian officials called a state of emergency Thursday for portions of the Big Island after advancing lava from the Kilauea volcano came within a mile of a subdivision and threatened to cut off the major road serving the area. “We are taking this step to ensure our residents have […]

Honolulu (AFP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was forced to go commercial for the nine-hour flight between Hawaii and Washington after his Air Force jet suffered a malfunction. Kerry, along with many staff members and reporters, including AFP, who had accompanied the top U.S. diplomat on his week-long world tour, on Thursday ended […]

By Cathleen Decker, Los Angeles Times A primary election in Hawaii that had threatened to extend weeks beyond last Saturday’s balloting will conclude Friday when voters affected by Tropical Storm Iselle cast the remaining ballots that will determine the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. Appointed incumbent Sen. Brian Schatz held a lead of 1,635 […]

By Cathleen Decker, Los Angeles Times Somehow, 40 years into a political career that was crowned by his election as Hawaii’s governor, Neil Abercrombie ignored the most basic lesson of the trade: It’s a popularity contest. After years of antagonizing not just partisan opponents but key elements of his own Democratic Party, retaliation came Saturday […]

By Maya Srikrishnan, Los Angeles Times Tropical Storm Iselle reached Hawaii’s Big Island and Maui early Friday morning, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, downed trees, and scattered power outages as the state also braced for a second storm on Sunday morning, a rare one-two punch for the islands. Iselle, which has weakened from a Category […]

By Maya Srikrishnan, Los Angeles Times As Hurricanes Iselle and Julio headed toward Hawaii, Stan Lawrence boarded up his surf shop in downtown Hilo. “It’s safer to be closed,” Lawrence said Thursday morning, although the sun was shining. Later, the rain began. The last time a hurricane hit the state was in 1992, when Iniki […]

By Maya Srikrishnan, Los Angeles Times As Hawaii braced Thursday for two hurricanes — which would be the first to hit the state in 22 years — a magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook Waimea on the eastern shore of the Big Island, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said some areas […]

Kihei (United States) (AFP) – Hawaii hunkered down Thursday as a rare pair of hurricanes took aim at the holiday paradise, with the first expected to make landfall within hours. Big Island was expected to see a direct hit from Hurricane Iselle Thursday night, bringing with it strong winds, heavy rain and dangerous storm surges, […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Hawaii on Wednesday braced for a walloping by a rare duo of storms headed for the holiday paradise, with local residents rushing to stock up on water and flashlights. Hurricane Iselle, while predicted to weaken to a tropical storm, was expected to bring strong wind, heavy rains and possibly damaging swells […]

By Anita Kumar, McClatchy Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — As he embarks on his final years in office, President Barack Obama has begun to look beyond the White House to his next task: solidifying his legacy. A group of longtime friends and supporters, including his former campaign manager and fundraiser, is in the midst of planning […]

By Robert Salonga and Julia Prodis Sulek, San Jose Mercury News SAN JOSE, Calif. — Now that he’s back in California, the San Jose Police Department is looking to interview a Santa Clara teenager about how he scaled a fence at Mineta-San Jose International Airport and hitched a ride in the wheel well of a Maui-bound […]

By Julia Prodis Sulek, San Jose Mercury News SAN JOSE, Calif.—The same day the father of the 15-year-old stowaway was in Hawaii trying to reunite with his runaway son, another family drama involving the teen’s stepmother unfolded Tuesday in a San Jose courtroom. The stepmother, who had been accused by her cousin of treating her stepson […]

By Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times HONOLULU — In primaries across the country — in Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi and other states — Republicans are locked in a heart-and-soul battle between purists and pragmatists clashing over what it means to represent the party, its philosophy and core values. Here in Hawaii there’s a similar fight […]

By Joseph Serna and Kate Mather, Los Angeles Times Images of footprints and handprints inside the wheel well of a Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45 jetliner appear to bolster the fantastic story of a Santa Clara teenager who reportedly survived a frigid, perilous journey cooped up inside as a stowaway. The images, including of a footprint […]

By Joseph Serna and Kate Mather, Los Angeles Times Officials in Hawaii are preparing to send a Santa Clara teenager home after he reportedly stowed away in the wheel well of a jetliner departing San Jose. Mineta San Jose International Airport officials said the 15-year-old managed to enter the airport, trek across the tarmac and climb […]

By Kate Mather, Joseph Serna and Kurt Streeter, Los Angeles Times A teenager who stowed away on a flight from San Jose to Hawaii is raising questions about security at San Jose’s Mineta International Airport. Authorities say security video shows the teen from Santa Clara hopping a fence at the San Jose airport and climbing […]

By Mark Gomez and Robert Salonga, San Jose Mercury News SAN JOSE, Calif. — Authorities say a 16-year-old Santa Clara boy is “lucky to be alive” after he ran away from home, clandestinely scaled a fence at Mineta San Jose International Airport, and hid inside the wheel well of a plane flying from California to […]

By Fabiola Gutierrez and Chris Kraul, Los Angeles Times SANTIAGO, Chile — A shallow and powerful magnitude 8.2 earthquake rocked Chile’s northern coast Tuesday, sparking fires, churning up high waves, causing landslides, and cutting power for thousands of people. A fireman and an elderly heart attack victim were among five people reported dead from the quake, […]